


Light Me Up

by nekojita



Series: Dragon!Andrew [8]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Dragon!Andrew, M/M, Road Trip!, kevin's had enough too, no bribing with pies here, some not so nice use of drugs, wymack has had enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 10:14:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12768873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekojita/pseuds/nekojita
Summary: Wymack has reached his limit after dealing with squabbling fire mages at the Foxhole Court (Andrew and Jean), so off Andrew, Neil and Kevin go on a road trip. Except would Riko allow such an opportunity to reclaim Neil to pass him by?





	Light Me Up

**Author's Note:**

> *******  
> So, another chapter of dragon!Andrew! This was one I've had planned for a while, and I think it's safe save for Riko being a manipulative ass and spiked drinks.  
> *******

*******

It took two days before Wymack had enough of everything - the singed walls, the unexpected fireballs, the billows of smoke and showers of sparks that came from two powerful fire mages facing off against each other in the castle. Well, one powerful and one _very_ powerful fire mage with a dragon inside of them. Anytime Andrew and Jean crossed paths, first harsh words were exchanged and then magic was cast and-

Wymack had had enough, and Neil couldn't blame the man. He liked Jean (mostly liked Jean), but he was tired of hearing about Riko, about how he belonged to Riko (no, no, _NO_ ), was tired of being called 'Prince Nathaniel' and breathing in smoke and reminding Andrew that he couldn't kill a guest and... he was _tired_. All he wanted right then was to return to their mountain fort and curl up beneath Andrew's (the dragon's) wing to sleep for a day or so, to go back to the peace and quiet he’d found there, but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Not as long as his father and Riko were still alive and determined to see through some ridiculous promise he'd had no say in and so refused to honor.

That meant Neil, Andrew and Kevin were off to Blackwell with a cart full of enchanted items and crafts that the Foxhole Court traded for medicinal supplies which Abby needed.

"Cora and Lon are trustworthy," Wymack told the three of them as they stood outside the main gate of the Foxhole Court with said small cart and a horse for Kevin. "We've been dealing with them for years. Just get there, give them the letter and they'll put you up for the night before sending you back with everything we need."

Kevin nodded to show that he understood; he had the letter on him and he'd traveled to Blackwell once before with Wymack, so the explanation was more for Neil and Andrew's sake. "We'll handle this, you'll see."

"I know, you never let me down." Wymack grinned as he patted Kevin on the back, which made an odd look of relief then determination cross the earth mage's face just then. Neil was puzzled over why Kevin was so concerned about Wymack's approval - yes, the man had given him sanctuary at the Foxhole Court, but surely there would have been other places which would have taken in Kayleigh Day's son?

Wymack's gaze shifted to Neil and Andrew, who stood side by side. "Be careful, all right? And try not to get into too much trouble."

Andrew gave Neil a slight push toward the cart. "I'm hurt by that insinuation. What makes you think we're going to do anything but be bored on this stupid errand of yours?"

"I don't know, the fact that you came damn close to burning down my home the last couple of days? Just _go_ and don't cause any trouble," Wymack ordered as he waved them away.

Neil shook his head as he gave Andrew a flat look to keep his lover from saying anything else before he climbed onto the small cart; it fell upon him to drive it, as he had the most experience out of the three. It had been a few years since he'd driven one, but he'd learned during the time he'd been on the run from his father with his mother. They'd walked, rode and traveled by wagon all over the continent, and even spent a season with Travelers in an attempt to muddle their trail, so he wouldn't have much of a problem with the seemingly placid dark brown draft horse pulling the small cart. Once in the seat, he settled the sleek new rapier hanging from the his left side of his belt then adjusted the white and orange cloak around him with the hood pulled over his head before nodding to Kevin, who had mounted his feisty black gelding.

Andrew waited until they were a suitable distance away before shifting into his dragon form; when Wymack had told them about their assignment, he had argued against riding along in favor of flying. He said that the dragon needed some time 'out' and that it would behave better if it could watch over Neil while they were on the road.

Neil thought that the lazy bastard just didn't want to be stuck riding a horse or taking turns driving the cart, which was too small to sleep in.

Kevin's horse skittered to the left a little when the dragon roared before it leapt into the air, dust whirling around them from the sweep of its wings. "Does he have to do that?" Kevin complained as he looked skyward to the rapidly dwindling golden shape.

"Considering not many people argue with a dragon, he pretty much does what he wants," Neil pointed out as he urged the draft horse to speed up a little. "Both of them."

Kevin gave him an odd look as he came up alongside of the cart. "And you lived with him - with _them_ \- for how long?"

Not liking the disbelieving tone or the implied statement just then, Neil narrowed his eyes. "You lived with the _Moriyamas_ for how long?"

The question made the knight become flustered. "It's not the-"

"The same?" Neil's vision hazed with silver for a moment before he regained control, before he forced himself to take a deep breath and push back both his magic and his temper. "I don't know, it seems to me that living with a dragon and someone who did nothing but protect and look out for me was infinitely better than a family who only uses and abuses people for their own gain. Don't tell me that your life hasn't improved since you left Evermore."

"I...." It seemed that Kevin had his own internal struggle right then. "I just worry about you, Neil, and I wonder if it's right, you being handfasted to someone who was cursed and bound to a dragon. There had to be a reason for it, right?"

Some of Neil's anger faded upon hearing that along with Kevin’s earnest expression, but only some. "Yeah, and it's that the mage who did it was an asshole," he told his friend. "I'm not saying that Andrew's perfect, but in the end he was looking out for his cousin, not seeking power or hurting people for the sake of feeling good about it.” He shivered as he thought about his father. “I’m happy with him, and that’s all that matters, okay?” He hated having to defend his lover _and_ talking about such personal things.

Kevin still looked a bit skeptical, but at least he nodded and backed off a little. “At least he’s powerful. You’re going to need that when your father comes after you again.”

Neil gazed at his friend for several seconds before he sent a small ball of aether at the black gelding – not much, just enough to spook it into a run.

The first day on the road didn’t go very well, not with Kevin in a grouchy mood because of Neil’s ‘trick’, nor the fact that it took to raining after the first hour or so of them on the road. Long used to traveling in inclement weather, Neil sighed and was grateful that the cloak had a water-proof spell on it, and that he needed the hood pulled far over his head anyway to hide his appearance from the rest of the travelers on the road. But it was still a damp, miserable day to be traveling, especially with the wheels of the cart kicking up stray sprays of mud as well as the horse in front of him, while Kevin complained the entire time and Andrew was a smug presence in his head flying above it all.

<There’s a clearing up ahead,> Andrew told them when it got to be late in the day and they were tired from more than just the weather. <Tell the arrogant one to turn left at the stone wall.>

Neil sighed and pushed aside his damp bangs; it had stopped raining a short while ago but the air was still humid. “Hey! Andrew says that there’s a clearing up ahead and we’re to turn left at the wall.”

Kevin’s back stiffened beneath his muddy cloak and for a moment Neil thought that he was going to be ignored until his friend nodded. They rode on in silence for another minute or two before they found the wall, and fortunately the ground off the road was level enough that Neil didn’t have much trouble with the cart.

Andrew was waiting for them in the clearing, already in his human form. His black cloak (he refused to wear Palmetto’s colors) was dry save for a little dampness around the bottom, and it looked as if he’d used his magic to dry some of the area around him as well. “Took you long enough.”

Kevin gave him a sour look. “I don’t want to hear it from someone who’s been flying around all day.”

“Flying takes energy, too,” Andrew argued. “Speaking of which….” He stalked past Kevin toward the cart, which Neil had just climbed down from, and flipped back the heavy tarp covering its contents to fetch a certain bag in particular – the one filled with sweet rolls. “I’m hungry.”

“Nice to see you, too,” Neil said, his tone sarcastic as he tended to the horse. He was given a blank look in return and shook his head; he knew that Andrew and the dragon had kept watch over him the entire day, based on the random comments his lover had sent him (jabs about his driving skill, taunts about Kevin and various travelers on the road, complaints about Andrew being bored).

The draft horse had been unburdened of its gear, rubbed down, hobbled for the night and given a couple handful of oats before Neil went to fetch some water with a collapsible bucket from a nearby stream; he’d only taken a few steps away when he realized that he had a companion for the walk. “Thirsty? Too many sweets even for you?”

Andrew gave a slight shrug. “What did you and Kevin talk about earlier? Before he decided to stay away from you for the rest of the day?”

Of course the tyrant had noticed that, Neil thought with a weary sigh. “It was a philosophical debate on choices,” he said with as light a tone as possible as he swung the empty bucket about between them. “I don’t think he was happy that I got the better of him.”

Andrew was quiet until they reached the stream, when he clicked his tongue. “I suppose in a broad sense all of that was true, but you must think that _I’m_ an idiot if you expect me to believe that. What did he really say?”

Well, so much for evasion. “The usual ‘Andrew’s not good enough’ shit,” Neil admitted with a slight cringe.

His lover didn’t say anything after that, just watched as Neil filled the bucket and followed him back to the horse, which was quick to bury his nose in the bucket to drink once it was set down on the ground. Neil gave the gelding a gentle pat on the neck before he turned to face Andrew. “You know I don’t believe it.” He reached out with his left arm, the one bearing the thick band of leather covered with golden scales, and waited until Andrew gave a slight nod before he brushed his fingers along Andrew’s right cheek. “I told him I’m happy with you. All I want is for my father and Riko to drop dead so we can go back home.”

That prompted a slight – _very_ slight – smile on his lover’s full lips. “Keep praying for that to happen, but I think it’s going to take a bit more effort on our part. That and I’m looking forward to flaming them into ash.” As he spoke, he wrapped his fingers around Neil’s wrist and tugged him closer.

“As long as you’re not hurt, I don’t care how it comes about, I just want them dead,” Neil said. “Them dead and us left alone.” It had been so nice, the last couple of years up in the fortress – all the annoying knights and paladins aside.

“And everyone thinks you’re this adorable idiot who needs to be kept safe, so helpless and meek,” Andrew murmured as his left arm wrapped around Neil’s waist. “Too much demon blood and not enough common sense.”

From anyone else that comment would sting, would make Neil pull away and leave, but he smiled as he shuffled even closer. “You seem to like my demon blood.” It certainly didn’t scare Andrew or give him any pause.

That earned a scathing scoff from Neil’s lover. “I _tolerate_ you. Not that you’ve done much for me lately, haven’t made any pies or tarts in a couple of weeks.”

“Your life, so hard.” Neil’s smile widened as he was yanked the last bit of space between the two of them for a kiss rough enough to steal his breath away, his hand sliding into Andrew’s short, thick hair as his lips parted when a slight moan slipped free. Andrew felt so warm against him, warm and solid and safe – strong arms wrapped around his waist and shoulders, chapped lips insistent on his own, powerful magic filling the air with the faint scent of hot copper metal and-

“ _What_? Oh no, _no_! _Come on_ , we’re in the middle of… well, it’s out in public, now stop!” Kevin demanded, his deep voice loud with outrage.

Neil blinked as he pulled away from Andrew, whose thick blond eyebrows were drawn together in annoyance as he glared at the earth mage. “Go away,” Andrew said, his own deep voice made deeper with a rare note of anger and a spark of red in his eyes.

In the process of leading his horse, Kevin paused then shook his head. “No, I’m _not_ putting up with this while we’re traveling together.”

“You-“

Neil sighed as he tugged on Andrew’s left hand. “Come on, I’m tired.” He pulled his lover toward where the cart had been left; there now was a small fire in front of it, along with a couple of thick, coarse blankets spread out on the ground with softer ones on top.

Andrew’s hazel eyes narrowed at sight of the fire, and the flames flickered out moments later. Neil shook his head but decided not to say anything, just sat down on the larger of the two blankets and accepted the pouch of dried jerky and fruit from his lover then smiled when Andrew sat next to him.

Kevin returned a few minutes later, after Neil had removed his cloak and boots and was tucked against Andrew’s side, soaking in the heat radiating from his lover. The baffled look on Kevin’s face at the pile of partially burned wood was almost priceless, especially when he tried to start it burning again with no luck.

“Andrew, did you-“ He yelped when a shower of sparks were sent his way. “What the hell?”

A blank look met his confused one. “Nothing,” Andrew said before having a sip of apple brandy.

“Do you think this is funny?” Kevin glared as he clenched his hands into fists and the earth rumbled beneath them. “Do you-“

The darkness giving way to a silver glow made Kevin fall quiet and Andrew stiffen against Neil. “We’re not going to get into a ‘who’s magic is stronger’ pissing match, okay?” he told them with a hint of his father’s smile on his face. “It’ll scare the horses and attract too much attention, so just sit down.” That was directed at Kevin.

His friend stared at him for a couple of seconds before nodding once then going over to his own blanket. “What about the fire?”

“You should have thought about that before you upset Andrew,” Neil said as he tugged the flask of brandy free for a quick sip; Andrew let go of it rather begrudgingly, but relaxed after a moment.

Kevin took to muttering beneath his breath for several minutes in-between his own bites of jerky and fruit, and was draining a rather large flask of some potent liquor dry when Neil stretched out beside Andrew to go to sleep, wrapped in both his lover’s arms and magic.

He was woken up in the middle of the night to watch over their makeshift camp for a couple of hours, and had to use his magic to wake up Kevin when it was his friend’s turn. Needless to say, it was another grumpy start to the day, one where Neil was jealous of Andrew’s ability to fly.

<We can always say that he ran into a ditch and broke his neck,> Andrew offered. <No one has to know _why_. >

Neil shook his head, certain that Andrew could see him; yes, Kevin could be a pain in the ass at times, but he meant well. He mostly meant well. Neil _thought_ he meant well.

All right, Neil already had enough weird things going on in his life without upsetting the Fates by killing a mostly friend/ally/whatever Kevin was in the grand scheme of things.

As if sensing the dubious nature of his future, Kevin finally got over his little snit and engaged Neil in a proper debate over potential curses to use against an enemy (something Neil did know, despite his spotty magical education). It was enough of a distraction to make the rest of the travel that day almost pleasant, despite the cool, overcast weather.

Kevin was wise enough to keep any comments to himself that night when Neil and Andrew left to wash together in the small pond by the grove of trees where they decided to camp, but he was still a strong, disapproving presence and the fact that they were only so far away from a main road meant that a few lingering kisses aside, they focused on washing off the sweat and the dirt rather than enjoying each other. That night Kevin got to sleep by a fire, but still was a pain in the ass to wake up for his turn at watch.

At least Blackwell wasn’t too much farther away and they reached it on the third day, part of the reason why Wymack had sent them out on the mission. It didn’t mean that Neil wasn’t grateful to see the high dark grey stone towers with black and gold banners fluttering in the wind.

When they drew close enough to the large castle, they once again pulled off the road so Andrew could land and shift out of his dragon form and climb up onto the cart next to Neil, who smiled at having his lover’s warm presence at his side. Kevin took the lead and dealt with the guards stationed at the front gates, while Neil shifted with unease beneath the curious gazes sent his way.

Cora and Lon Blackwell (Neil assumed it was them, judging from the finely made yet simple wool tunics and leggings they wore) were waiting for them in the large courtyard of the castle, along with a few more guards and a young woman dressed in weathered black leathers with gold edging. “Hello, Kevin,” Cora said as she gave him a quick hug. “David had Betsy send us a message that you were coming. It’s good to see you again.”

Neil would be surprised by Kevin’s bright smile if he hadn’t witnessed it before at the Raven’s Nest. “It’s good to see you, too. You look well.” He made a little polite talk with her and her husband while Neil and Andrew stepped down from the cart with their travel bags. “Oh, and this time Andrew and Neil Minyard came with me. They’re new to the Foxhole Court,” he added as if an afterthought.

Cora gave them a smile tinged with nervousness while her husband edged closer to her side and the young woman took a step forward as well. “Yes, we’ve heard so much about them.” She eyed them for a couple of seconds while Neil thought he picked up a hint of magic, possibly earth, and her smile strengthened. “You’re both welcome here. Naomi, would you see to the cart, please?”

The young woman relaxed and gave a respectful nod. “Yes, my lady.” She smiled at Neil and Andrew as well before she motioned to one of the guards to assist her with the cart and then left in the direction of what appeared to the stables.

Lon nodded to them when his wife went back to Kevin’s side to walk with him into the castle. “Since we’ve been expecting you, there’s a dinner planned for tonight. Nothing too extravagant, but something nice to welcome you after your journey.”

Neil summoned what he hoped was a grateful smile while Andrew remained quiet and blank-faced at his side. “That sounds nice.” Actually, he would have been fine remaining in some private room all night before they left the next morning, but he supposed that if these people were allies of Wymack that some socialization was expected.

“Good. Hot water for baths will be brought to your room, you’ll have some time to rest and dress yourselves before dinner.” As they walked through the wide halls of the Blackwell castle, Lon pointed out certain architectural features to which Neil nodded or made polite remarks; all the while Andrew remained quiet and a part of Neil thought about how his mother would use said feature to bring the place down or break in to rob it blind….

He really hated ‘small talk’ and ‘being polite’.

Once left alone with Andrew in what was admittedly a nice room with plenty of windows and space and furniture that would break down easily for kindling or weapons during a siege (he _really_ hated his upbringing, dammit), he sighed and, after shedding his dirty boots and cloak, flopped down on the bed. A soft, pleased moan escaped him when Andrew stretched out next to him.

“What’s going on in that idiot head of yours?”

Since he never lied to his lover (perhaps stretched the truth a little, but never lied), Neil told him. “I don’t want to deal with a bunch of strangers tonight but know we have to, and I hate looking around a place like this and thinking about all the messed up things my parents taught me.”

Because it was Andrew, he didn’t have to explain it more than that. “We can tell them that you’re sick or something, and I think some of the stuff you know is actually helpful.”

Neil smiled at that. “First off, someone with as much demon blood as me rarely gets sick – Kevin would know it’s a lie.” As much as Neil hated his heritage at times, it had helped him to survive over the years. “Second… thank you, I think.”

Andrew huffed as he reached out to shove a hand in Neil’s face, the gesture familiar and gentle. “Such an idiot.”

“Hmm, but not a lazy bastard,” he argued.

“I’ll take that over being an idiot any day.” Andrew’s hand slipped around to cup the back of Neil’s neck. “We’ll just stick around for a little bit tonight, let Kevin deal with them since he seems to like kissing ass so much.”

“Nice image there.” Neil grimaced but he didn’t argue, not when he was finally alone with his lover again. Only the fact that they were waiting for the hot water to arrive kept him from pulling Andrew closer so he could enjoy that fact.

One of the castle servants knocked on the door a couple of minutes later, when he was debating whether or not to fall asleep for a quick nap; Andrew got up to answer it while Neil sat up on the bed. The middle-aged woman collected Neil’s cloak along with his and Andrew’s dirty clothes and promised that they would be cleaned and returned by morning, while another couple of servants brought in a large bathing tub which they filled with hot water, along with a smaller tub and a couple of buckets which could be used to scrub themselves clean.

As soon as they left, Neil began to remove his clothes, eager to wash off the day’s sweat and dirt. It wasn’t the same as the bathing room back at the fort or the Foxhole Court, but it was better than some pond by the side of the road. He was about to step into the shallow wash pan when Andrew, stripped of his own shirt and jerkin, grasped him by the wrist. “Yeah?”

“Yes?” Andrew asked as he stepped toward a wood paneled wall, his handsome face bereft of expression but hazel eyes bright with passion. Neil smiled as he willingly followed.

“Yes,” he agreed, and quickly found himself pressed against the wall then kissed with a determination just shy of rough. Neil moaned as he wrapped his arms around Andrew’s broad shoulders, the sound turning into a gasp as almost feverishly hot hands stroked along his sides and his lover rocked hard against him.

He slumped down just a little until they were of the same height while Andrew fumbled with the laces of his pants then shoved the material past his hips, freeing his own erect cock as well. Neil wrapped his left leg around Andrew’s hip to pull him closer, to increase that incredible, tantalizing friction between them and whimpered when his ass was grabbed and his hips yanked even more into Andrew’s rocking thrusts. He trailed his lips along Andrew’s firm jaw in a teasing nibble as the pleasure coiled inside of him, but before he could dip any lower, his lover let out a deep growl and latched on to _his_ neck, mouth rough and teeth scraping along sensitive skin.

Neil shuddered and gasped at the sensation, at _all_ the wonderful sensations, of Andrew moving against him and hands holding on to him and mouth sucking hard at the junction of his neck and shoulder and the press of magic and… he felt as if Andrew was everywhere, was sinking into him as well as enveloping him, and just gave in to the tide of emotions crashing into him, which made him cry out his lover’s name and hold on to him as if the only source of support.

He felt a slight spike of pain amidst the intense flare of pleasure, felt Andrew stiffen in his arms and against him as he shuddered through his climax, body over-sensitive and breath uneven, and did his best to force his trembling arms to loosen their embrace. As his head lolled back against the wall, he felt a twinge of pain on the left side of his shoulder, where Andrew had been kissing him.

“Uhh….” He felt along there with his fingers as Andrew shifted back a little and winced when he came across a sore spot and what felt to be a little blood, as if Andrew had barely broken the skin. “Uhm?”

“Dammit,” Andrew muttered as he rubbed at his face. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Okay.” Neil frowned for a moment then shook his head. “It should be fine.” He healed pretty quickly, after all.

Andrew gave him an odd look for a moment before grimacing and shaking his head. “Bath, now.”

“Yes,” Neil agreed, suddenly aware of the dried sweat and… yes, bath. He smiled at the way his lover’s brow furrowed when Andrew stepped out of his pants and didn’t smooth away until he’d scrubbed himself clean, and was quick to wash himself then join Andrew in the large bronze tub (it was a good thing that they were both on the small side). Content to be tucked up against Andrew’s chest and surrounded by hot water, Neil hummed and closed his eyes.

“This doesn’t bother you?” Andrew asked as he gently touched the new hickey on Neil’s neck.

“It’ll go away, like the others,” Neil said as he slumped down a little more in the water. “Just try not to bite so hard next time, okay? Probably not a good thing to do, ingesting demon blood.”

“It shouldn’t happen again,” Andrew said, his tone oddly final. Neil frowned at that, but then Andrew was running his fingers along Neil’s left forearm, above the leather band, so he closed his eyes and decided that things were all right at the moment. He might as well enjoy the peacefulness before some boring dinner.

*******

Andrew had another sip of the potent red wine they were serving before dinner to the assembled guests in what was some sort of sitting room while Neil was an anxious shadow at his side; the Blackwells had other guests in residence and one of them, some glass artisan from Binghamton, had referred to Neil as ‘Lord Nathaniel’ before being harshly being corrected on her mistake.

It wasn’t as if they expected no one to realize who Neil really was, not with that unusual coloring, not with that damn raven brand on his left cheek, not with how much effort Riko had made in trying to ‘reclaim’ his wayward ‘fiancé’. But the simple fact of the matter was that Neil had turned his back on his Wesninski heritage _and_ was handfasted to Andrew – something they needed to see about making more permanent sooner rather than later.

Andrew didn’t doubt that Neil wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, not when all he talked about was going back to the fort, when he’d accepted the vows of their handfasting in the first place. It still stunned Andrew that Neil wanted _him_ when it was clear that there were plenty of options available to the idiot, but he… he didn’t want to let go of the one good thing that had come into his life.

He just needed to slap down a certain dragon which didn’t seem to realize that Neil was human (well, sort of human) and keep its damn nose out of Andrew’s sex life.

“At least Kevin is having a good time,” Neil said as he shuffled closer to Andrew; he was dressed in a dark grey tunic with full sleeves along with light blue pants, which only made his bright hair and blue eyes stand out even more than usual. At least the collar of the tunic was high enough to cover the bruise on his lower neck (something the stupid beast sulked over).

Kevin was dressed all in black, much like Andrew, and was surrounded by several people, including Cora Blackwell. As if noticing their attention, the lady of the castle broke away from the small group and came over to them. “Are you doing all right?” She nodded to Neil while they both nodded. “I see that you’re not drinking, is something wrong?”

“Ah, the wine’s a bit strong for me, I’m not much of a drinker, I’m afraid,” he told her with an apologetic smile.

“Oh, I understand.” She frowned for a moment and then smiled as she held up her own glass. “I’m not, either, so I keep a nice mulled blend on hand. In fact, I just received a new one that’s rather good, if you’d like to try it.”

There wasn’t much Neil could say to that other than ‘yes’ since she was their hostess, after all, so she waved over a servant who quickly fetched a glass for him. Cora waited long enough for Neil to try it, and smiled when he seemed to enjoy it. She remained a few more minutes to chat with them a little about Bee (well, for Andrew to give her one or two curt answers since he knew Bee the best) before wandering off to talk to someone else.

Much to Andrew’s surprise, Neil had another glass of the mulled wine, enough for a slight flush to color his cheeks and a grin to curve his lips. He also took to standing even closer to Andrew, and glaring at anyone who tried to approach them, which happened to be several people, especially some guy who looked as if he might be from one of the Northern provinces.

Normally Andrew wouldn’t mind Neil’s attention, but while Neil really didn’t drink very often, a little bit of apple brandy aside, he shouldn’t seem so flustered after two glasses. He also didn’t infringe on Andrew’s personal space like that without a definite ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when Andrew was in human form, especially not when they were out in public.

“Neil, what’s going on?” he asked as his lover all but pressed against his left side.

“Hmm, you’re so nice and warm,” Neil said, his voice almost a purr. “Feel really good.” He smiled at Andrew, his pupils contracted so much that they were tiny pinpricks in huge pools of icy blue. “I wanna- oh, more wine!” His motions were jerky as he pulled away just enough to hold out his glass for the servant to pour more wine into it.

Before he could drink it, however, Andrew snatched it from him. “Hey!” Neil’s loud voice rang through the room and attracted attention, but Andrew didn’t care as he raised the glass to his own lips. At first he didn’t taste anything unusual, just a spiced red wine weaker than what he’d been drinking and with an unusual note or two to it. While Neil took to sulking and a grim-faced Kevin came stomping over, Andrew held another sip of the wine in his mouth… and nearly spit it out as the dragon roared inside of him.

“What the hell are you two doing?” Kevin demanded to know once he was close enough to hiss the words out. “You’re acting like-“

“Angelica, mullein, cubeb and coriander,” Andrew recited, rattling off what the dragon had just told him. “Why the hell would those be in this wine?” Beside him, Neil took to moaning while Kevin paled and shook his head.

“Koyla’s grace, those are herbs which can affect a… a demon,” he said while glancing at a flustered Neil.

A demon, or a demon/human hybrid, Andrew was willing to bet. “Cora said she got a new blend of wine, find out where it came from,” Andrew told Kevin as he wrapped his left arm around Neil’s waist while he shoved the remainder of the wine at the earth mage. “I’m getting him out of here.” The beast was raging at him to protect Neil, to keep him safe, which wasn’t what he needed just then – he agreed that they’d just stumbled into a trap of sorts and had to focus.

“Yes, I’ll talk to her and then bring you some things that should help,” Kevin offered as he searched the room for their hostess.

Andrew shivered a little when Neil slumped against him, warm breath and soft curls tickling his neck. It served as a distraction as the one guy dressed in fine dark brown and bleached white linens approached a little too close, his gaze fixed on Neil. “Is there a problem? Something I can help you with? Your friend there doesn’t look well and I know a bit about healing.”

“No, go away,” Andrew told him, the dragon raging once more in suspicion over the man. Not that he needed the dragon’s warning, not after all the years of people doing their best to take advantage of him, after seeing the worst in them, and caught a hint of magic which he imagined would have either glamoured him or done something to make him hand over Neil if he hadn’t already been on alert.

He unleashed a thin stream of flames, just enough to wrap around the asshole and disrupt whatever spell he was trying to cast. When Naomi came running over, Andrew used his talent to burn away the oxygen around the asshole to keep him from speaking. “He tried to cast a spell on me first, and he’s been eyeing Neil all right. Talk to Kevin, someone spiked Cora’s wine to get at Neil.”

“I know, I was there when he was explaining things to her,” the captain of the guard said as she motioned to the gasping man. “Leave him to me, I’ll question him.”

It wasn’t ideal since Andrew didn’t know the woman, but Neil had taken to squirming against him and whimpering, so he didn’t have much of a choice and gave a slight nod before finally leaving.

As soon as he reached their room, he threw a thin wall of fire near the door to prevent anyone from just barging in and then dropped Neil onto their bed. “Okay, what’s wrong? What the fuck is that wine doing-“ He stopped when Neil latched on to the front of his shirt and yanked him forward, his lover’s face reddened and sweaty, his pupils now dilated and chest heaving. “Neil?”

“ _Drew_.” Neil’s left hand slid into Andrew’s hair. “Yes? Pl- say ‘yes’, okay? I need _yes_ ,” he breathed out, the words little better than a moan as he stared at Andrew’s mouth.

All right, that explained what the hell all those herbs did to someone with demon blood and why Neil had been so ‘pushy’ back there. Andrew sighed as he cupped his idiot’s face, which prompted a needy gasp from Neil and agitated the dragon, and brought their lips together.

Then he hit Neil with a sleep spell he’d just learned from Bee.

There was a faint whine as Neil collapsed unconscious onto the bed and for a moment the dragon raged at Andrew, furious at what he’d done to _their_ idiot… until it realized that Neil was better off this way, that his breathing was evening out and his face was a little less flushed. The damn potion or spell or whatever was still in Neil’s blood, but it wasn’t affecting him so much and there was _no way_ in any of the hells that Andrew was going to touch his lover in _that_ manner when it was magic making Neil need him so much.

He’d managed to remove Neil’s boots and make him a bit more comfortable on the bed (Neil was more settled when he was next to him) when there was a knock on the door followed by Kevin announcing himself. Andrew sent away the flames and told the pain in the ass to enter.

Kevin came in appearing a bit more sour than usual, the expression turning worried when he noticed Neil on the bed. “Is he all right?”

“I knocked him out,” Andrew explained. “From what I can tell, it’s some sort of demon aphrodisiac spell. What did you get out of the one guy and from Cora?”

“From Marcus? Nothing, really, he claims that he just thought Neil was attractive. Cora said he’s a cotton merchant from Newburgh and has been here a few times. As for the wine, it’s a new blend from her usual supplier which arrived yesterday so she and Naomi are looking into it.” He put the small bag he held in his right hand down onto the table by the bed. “There’s some herbs in there that should help Neil a little when he’s awake. Make it into a tea.” He was thoughtful as he looked down onto Neil, at the way Neil was curled around Andrew. “If Riko has people watching the Foxhole Court, they would have seen us leave, especially with you flying.”

Oh sure, blame _him_. “Or perhaps a certain little birdy sent off a message, if Riko doesn’t have a spy or two there already,” Andrew pointed out. “All I know is, wouldn’t it have been perfect for Riko if there had been a nice public display of Neil being unfaithful to his handfasted vows, hmm?” To there being all these witnesses of him cheating on Andrew so Riko could declare their vows null and void and then reinstate the engagement – it would be a bit of a scandal to him, but what would he care when he had Neil’s power to wield soon enough?

Kevin nodded while he rubbed at his scarred left hand. “Yeah, that sounds about right to me. I just don’t understand why it didn’t work. I mean, _some_ of it did….”

Because Neil didn’t ‘swing’, Andrew thought as he combed his fingers through his lover’s damp curls and the dragon rumbled inside of him. Neil wasn’t attracted to just anyone, so as long as Andrew was around… well, Riko had fucked up on that one. Then again, Andrew suspected that Riko had never really understood his ‘fiancé’ in the first place. “I’ll deal with the asshole in the morning,” he told Kevin. “Let Cora or Naomi know and then stay in your room in case any more of Riko’s people are around.”

“All right.” Kevin’s jaw clenched and a determined light brightened his green eyes. “He’s not getting his way, not tonight.”

Aw, was someone growing a hint of a spine? How adorable… not really, it was mostly annoying but Andrew was tired and beyond pissed off at a spoiled prince right then, so he just waved Kevin away before ‘warding’ the door with fire once more and then climbing into bed with Neil.

Not that he got much rest that night in a strange room surrounded by potential enemies, with a drugged and magically unconscious Neil clinging to him like a leech with limbs and the dragon all but chanting ‘ _protectprotectprotect_ ’. If there had been enough space in the room, Andrew didn’t doubt that the damn thing would be fighting to take over and ‘come out’ so it could curl up around Neil, which he wouldn’t really object to at the moment – nothing gave an enemy pause like the sight of a furious mythological creature, after all.

Needless to say, he was tired and a bit grumpy come morning when he pried himself free of his idiot and opened the door to flag down a servant to fetch a pot of hot water so he could boil the pack of herbs which Kevin had left, along with a basin of hot water, soap and their cleaned clothes. As soon as the tea was done steeping, Andrew ‘broke’ the sleep spell.

Neil groaned as he stirred on the bed, brow furrowed with what appeared to be pain and rubbed at his eyes. “Drew?” That time he sounded confused.

“Yes?” Andrew helped his idiot sit up and was relieved to notice that Neil’s eyes were back to normal. “You remember anything from last night?” When Neil was upright if a bit hunched over, he handed him the mug of tea. “Drink this.”

“Uhm… wasn’t that the problem?” Neil asked, his voice a bit raspy and hands trembling enough that Andrew clicked his tongue as he helped Neil hold onto the mug. “I… ah….” He blushed as he glanced aside. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“

“It was what they put in the wine,” Andrew said as his hands tightened around Neil’s for a moment and lifted the mug to his lover’s mouth. “And even with all of that, you still asked.” Neil might have been a bit ‘friendlier’ than usual, but he’d wanted a ‘yes’ from Andrew before crossing a certain line. They’d been together long enough that it wasn’t always needed – they were handfasted, were _married_ – but Neil always respected Andrew’s need for space when he was in his human form and understood that consent was important. “It wasn’t your fault, so drink the damn tea and don’t be more of an idiot than usual.”

Perhaps because of the fact that he said that in his usual bland manner or that he’d said ‘it wasn’t your fault’, Neil looked at him for a couple of seconds then managed a faint smile which made the damn dragon purr. “Okay.”

He grimaced after the first sip, which made Andrew think that Kevin’s concoction tasted like shit, but he continued to drink the tea and seemed to feel a little better once it was done – at least enough to stand up to wash himself clean and change into a new set of clothes. Once they both were dressed and their bags packed, they left the room in search of Kevin, who was ready to return to the Foxhole Court and relieved to see Neil back on his feet, and then went off to find their hostess.

Cora smiled at Neil and offered them breakfast before they left, but Andrew wasn’t willing on taking another risk, even if he hadn’t eaten much in the last day. “Let’s talk to this Marcus before we leave,” was all he said.

Her expression wilted for a moment, adding weight to the fine lines on her round face, but she seemed to catch herself after a couple of seconds. “All right, though I’m not sure how you’ll manage any better than we did.” She motioned for the three of them to follow as she picked up her full black skirts in her left hand and led them down the hallway to a door flanked by two guards.

It was a plain room – a small bed, a sturdy table that wouldn’t easily budge, simple yet thick linens and not much else that could be used as a weapon or for spells. Andrew thought he sensed some protective wards, but paid most of his attention on the man who had been sitting on the bed, stripped down just to his pants and a loose shirt. ‘Marcus’ had jumped to his feet when they entered the room, his attention focused on Neil at first and then a disgruntled look sent Cora’s way. “My lady, I insist that you-“

Neil, who had been quiet so far, stepped forward before Andrew could do anything. “Look, my head is killing me because of whatever I drank last night, and I’m _really_ not happy that someone dosed me like that in the first place.” While he spoke, his eyes took on a silver gleam and the air shimmered around him with the glow of his aether magic – Andrew and Kevin were used to it and barely reacted, while Cora gasped and Marcus stepped back until his knees hit the bed and he sat down in rush. “So you tell me who sent you here and why before I start blowing off body parts, do you understand?” That awful smile which Andrew had only seen on his lover a few times, that he’d seen on Nathan Wesninski’s face a few weeks ago, spread across Neil’s lips as the scent of roses and the faint hint of tree resin filled the room, as tiny balls of silver light danced across the tips of Neil’s right fingertips.

Andrew was willing to say that Neil was very, _very_ upset about the whole aphrodisiac spell, while the dragon rumbled in approval.

Cora opened her mouth as if to complain, only for Kevin to shake his head to silence her, and when Marcus gave a nervous laugh as if to dispute Neil, the idiot flicked one of those tiny balls of aether at him. The explosion made the man yelp in pain and surprise as a small burn blossomed across his upper right chest.

“Start talking before they grow bigger,” Neil warned.

As suspected, Marcus had been paid by the Moriyamas to come to Blackwell and ‘seduce’ Neil – if they checked among his confiscated items, they’d find a ring that was supposed to aid in Neil being attracted to him. Except that Andrew hadn’t left Neil’s side at all last evening, and Neil hadn’t show any interest in anyone _but_ Andrew even with all of the ‘special’ wine in him. Because of those two things, Marcus hadn’t been able to carry through with the plan to publicly have an affair with Neil and give Riko grounds to have the handfasting annulled.

“It was supposed to be easy,” Marcus whined as he huddled on the bed. “I was told you’re only together because that monster protects you, because you’re _both_ monsters.”

For a moment it looked as if Neil was about to flick some more aether at the asshole, and Andrew doubted that it was because of the insult over Neil’s demon blood. Oh no, _someone_ always got so upset when anyone called Andrew names for some reason, such an idiot. “Don’t,” he said as he reached out to grasp Neil by the nape of the neck. “Wymack will never shut up about it if you blow up this place.”

That made Neil laugh a little and relax as the silver glow left his eyes. “Okay.” He smiled at Andrew, the expression full of so much trust and affection that it made the dragon purr in delight and something clench inside of Andrew’s chest. “Ah, is that enough? From this guy?”

Andrew nodded then looked over at Cora, who no longer seemed so upset with them for some reason. “I’ll keep him here for a little longer since I’m sure Naomi will have a few questions of her own for him.” Her expression hardened as she glanced back at the cowering man. “I’m not pleased to have my court used like this.”

She’d better get used to it, that or help do something about a certain royal family who seemed to think they could do whatever the hell they wanted. However, at that point Andrew was done with Blackwell and wanted to get back to the Foxhole Court – it wasn’t home, not really, but it was mostly safe and his brother and cousin should be returning soon.

Lon Blackwell was out in the main courtyard along with a few guards and assured them that their cart was restocked with all the goods promised to Wymack, and handed them a basket filled with some warm pasties which he swore he’d watched the cooks prepare for them. Andrew handed them to Neil as they both got up onto the cart, deciding that he’d ride with his lover for a while until Neil was more recovered from the damn wine.

Both Neil and Kevin cast some spells over the food and the flasks of tea to make sure that they were fine (Andrew would have to learn some of those spells himself since it was clear that they couldn’t trust food or drinks from strangers anymore, and add something to Neil’s leather bracelet) then split everything three ways. Well, mostly three ways, since Neil’s appetite was a little off because of the wine. He had enough to satisfy Andrew and the dragon, then let Andrew finish the rest.

Come nightfall, they found a clearing big enough for Andrew to shift into the dragon, and Neil was more than content to curl up beneath his right wing to go to sleep, the dragon pleased to have Neil tucked against him nice and safe. Kevin appeared a bit scandalized over the whole thing, but a face full of smoke made him keep any comments to himself.

That and having the dragon out made things a lot easier when several Moriyama knights attempted to surprise them during the night. Between the loose wards Kevin had cast around their campground and the dragon being more than a little displeased over how ‘his’ Neil had been treated… well, Andrew was certain that any nearby villagers would be telling tales of monsters for some time to come, of the night when the earth had trembled and the air had been filled with ferocious roars and screams of terror, along with a loud explosion or two (Neil was still just a _little_ upset).

After that, it was a rather quiet if stressful trip back to the Foxhole Court. Wymack was waiting for them in front of the gates, his expression even more disgruntled than usual, especially when he caught sight of the singed cart (at least nothing inside of it had been damaged). “What the _fuck_ did I say about not causing any trouble?”

Neil flinched at the man’s harsh tone, which made the dragon furious and Andrew more than a little pissed himself. “Don’t,” he warned Wymack as his magic flared. “Everything is on _Riko_ , not us.” He reached over to wrap his left hand around Neil’s nape and gave it a gentle squeeze. “So get the hell out of our way, we’re tired and all I want is a bath and to take a nap.” As always, Neil relaxed beneath his touch and shuffled closer to him.

Wymack’s expression softened as he looked at them and he swiped his hand over his grizzled hair. “Okay, I’m sorry, that was out of line but we’ve heard a lot of crazy things the last couple of days and were worried about you. I’m glad you’re back.” He nodded to them and Kevin. “Get your asses inside before something else happens, all right? Some people are going to be happy that you’re back and mostly in one piece.”

“I just want to sleep,” Neil murmured as he bumped into Andrew’s left side; the herbs which Kevin had given him back at Blackwell had helped somewhat, but he still was a little ‘off’ because of the damn wine. Kevin was certain that Bee had the right ones to completely ‘detox’ him and Neil agreed, so Andrew would be visiting her later.

For some reason Kevin hung back with Wymack while Andrew and Neil went inside, Neil murmuring about how he looked forward to a nice soak and then sleeping in their bed for a few hours. They’d just reached the hallway leading to their room when Andrew heard a familiar voice call out his name.

“Hey! You’re back! You and Neil!”

He turned around upon hearing Nicky, Neil stumbling a little at the sudden motion, and caught sight of Nicky and a familiar tall blond man hurrying toward him, with two other figures behind them. “Yay! You’re back!” Nicky babbled. “We returned two days ago to find out that you were gone, and heard all these weird stories!” He approached with his arms held out as if to give Andrew a hug, only to stop short when several sparks were flung his way. “Dammit, Andrew, really?” He scowled at first and then appeared worried. “You okay, Neil? You look a bit washed out. And whoa, protective spell much?”

“’m fine,” the idiot murmured while he rubbed at his left wrist. “Uhm… are you Eric?” he asked the blond as he leaned a little against Andrew, which made the dragon pleased.

The annoying tall blond guy beamed at the two of them. “Yes! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He gave a slight bow to both of them. “I’ve heard so much about you, and it’s been a while, Andrew.”

“Whatever.” Andrew frowned when he realized that Aaron was behind the annoyingly happy one – Aaron and a strange young woman. “What the hell?”

Nicky gave a nervous laugh as he tugged Eric aside as if getting his fiancé out of the line of fire. “Right… we can talk more later.”

Aaron gave their cousin a disgusted look before sighing. “Andrew, I… ah….”

The young woman, dressed in a simple gown of white and pale orange which set off her warm brown skin tone, slightly darker than Nicky’s, and cascade of dark brown and gold corkscrew curls to the small of her back, held out her right hand while she gave Andrew a defiant smile. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Katlyn. We’re going to be family.”

Andrew gave her a flat look in return for a couple of seconds and, after creating a wall of sparks which prompted a soft cry from Katlyn and curses from Aaron and Nicky, stalked down the hallway with Neil stumbling beside him.

Nothing was said until they reached their room, which Neil warded once the door was shut. “Uhm… at least she’s not a full demon?” he offered as he all but collapsed onto the bed.

Andrew gave him a warning look, which prompted a weary sigh from his lover. “Okay, so you’re not happy with it. I assume if I keep talking about it, I’ll be dangled for my troubles?” Neil laid out on the bed and smiled. “Well, when you’re in a shape where you can do some dangling, that is.”

Despite his anger at Aaron, Andrew felt the corners of his lips twitch the tiniest bit. “What do you mean? A scrawny thing like you?” He scoffed as he kicked off his boots. “I can dangle you any time.”

“You certain I was the only one who got the spiked wine?” Neil asked, yet he managed a faint laugh when Andrew joined him on the bed and placed a hand over his mouth. Neil slowly caught Andrew’s wrist and, their gazes locked together, placed a kiss on Andrew’s palm.

An odd sense of peace filled Andrew as he stretched alongside of his lover; they were still stuck at the Foxhole Court for the foreseeable future, Aaron was being stupid and Riko a problem to be dealt with soon, but Neil continued to be an idiot who remained at his side through everything, had even sworn an oath to him before the gods.

Definitely an idiot, but a determined and faithful one.

Neil smiled as he entwined their fingers together. “You’ve got that ‘he’s an idiot’ look on your face, you know.”

“ _Because_ you’re an idiot,” Andrew pointed out.

“Of course.” Neil closed his eyes and hummed a little, at least until Andrew tugged on their hands. “What?”

“Bath, then nap.”

“Tyrant,” Neil complained, but as always he went along with Andrew. Which was why Andrew wasn’t going to let anything happen to him, would burn to ash anyone who tried to harm him or take Neil away by force.

He’d set fire to the entire world if necessary, because he knew that Neil would follow him, would blow it to pieces in return.

There was no way Riko or Nathan Wesninski was ever going to destroy that.

******

 

**Author's Note:**

> *******  
> So that's it? Obviously there's more to come. But consider this a nice break from Raven's Partner with Andrew and Neil in a nice, solid relationship and Andrew being all protective and everything.
> 
> Now to get Heartlines ch17 finished and back to Raven's Partner!
> 
> As always, thanks so much for the comments and kudos!  
> *******


End file.
